Danish rider Morkov withdraws from Tour de France because of COVID-19 infection

By The Associated Press

FILE -Denmark's Michael Morkov rides during the sixteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time trial over 22.5 kilometers (14 miles) with start in Passy and finish in Combloux, France, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Veteran rider Michael Morkov has withdrawn from the Tour de France ahead of the race's 12th stage because of a COVID-19 infection, his Astana team said Thursday. The 39-year-old Dane tested positive on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Daniel Cole]

AURILLAC, France (AP) — The Astana team says veteran rider Michael Morkov has withdrawn from the Tour de France ahead of the 12th stage because of a COVID-19 infection. The 39-year-old Dane tested positive on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Morkov is retiring at the end of the year. He won a stage on the 2013 Spanish Vuelta and the gold medal in the Madison track race at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. He is set to compete at the Paris Games.